A Dangerous Game
by blackpearl23456
Summary: A sequel to 'Deeper Than This'. Continues from just under a year later. Completely ignores the end of series 7 and the entirety of series 8. Lucas/OC. Characters owned by Kudos - Harry, Malcolm, Connie, Ros, Lucas, Jo, Ben. Characters owned by me - Amber.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was around half past four in the afternoon, and the sky was a muted grey. The sun had been struggling to break through the clouds all day, but it appeared that it now given up. In the distance, dark clouds of rain could be seen, and they would no doubt soon be right overhead. Harry Pearce, Connie James and Malcolm Wynn-Jones had taken the recent quietness at Thames House to enjoy a few well-deserved glasses of whiskey in the pub 'The George'. Despite the fact that things at work had been slow, they still were discussing the current state of affairs in their profession.

"The Russians hate us, the Americans are messing with us, and the Iranians are probably busy dreaming up ways of blowing us to kingdom-come." Harry took another sip of his drink before continuing. "Do we have no 'friends' in this world?"

"Who needs enemies when you have 'friends' like these?" Connie quoted, further proving Harry's point.

Harry nodded. "Precisely."

They lapsed into silence for a while, all of them gazing out of the window and watching the world pass by.

"I wonder what Amber and Lucas are doing with themselves now," Malcolm said after a considerable amount of time had passed.

"Well, we can only hope that their marriage hasn't broken up yet," replied Harry.

"They married under a year ago; I somehow doubt that they've divorced now. They were very much in love last time we saw them," Connie reminded him.

"Everyone does on their wedding day," Harry muttered.

"Don't be so pessimistic. Just because you had an unfortunate marriage breakdown doesn't mean everyone else has."

Harry winced slightly as Connie's words turned his thoughts to his marriage, and the combination of bitterness and guilt that he still felt towards it. He brought the glass of whiskey to his lips again, almost relishing in the feel of the burning in his throat as he downed the remainder of his drink. Suddenly his phone rang, and he glanced briefly at the caller ID before answering.

"Jo?"

"Harry, we've got a problem. Something big just happened."

"We're on our way back." Harry turned to Connie and Malcolm and said, "Come on, we're needed."

Ten minutes later, and Harry, Connie and Malcolm returned to the Grid. Stepping through the pods, they were met with a set of unfamiliar faces standing around and talking amongst themselves. Harry's first thought was that they were being investigated for some unknown reason, but he quickly realised that he would have had more warning than this. Then again, his relationship with Richard Dolby - the head of MI5 - was rather strained at present.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry exclaimed, pushing his way past three men who were in his way.

"This lot are from MI6," Jo said, appearing next to his left elbow.

"Why? What's happened?" asked Connie.

"The Russians have traced the Al Qaeda cell that tried to detonate a bomb in Manchester to a small village in Chechnya. Now's our chance to lift their cell," answered Ben.

"Meeting room," Harry commanded. He turned back to Ben and said, "So MI6 are here to liaise and to compare notes on how we can get the Russians to give us their guys?"

"Correct," replied Ben. "Word is that Andrew Stanton is on his way over to discuss possible assets."

"Blimey; the head of MI6. Best behaviour everyone."

They had only just taken their seats around the large, oak table in the meeting room when Andrew Stanton walked in, followed by several of his men. He hovered at the head of the table, drumming his fingers impatiently on its surface while he waited for silence to fall.

"So, Sir Harry-" Andrew began.

"Just Harry," he interrupted, then waved his hand for Andrew to speak again.

Andrew cleared his throat slightly before continuing. "You're aware of the situation?" Harry nodded. "Good. We need to know if you have any assets that could possibly have the correct leverage to persuade the Russians to give up their guys, because we have none."

Harry thought for a moment. One name sprang to his mind, but he hated to think about it. How could he even be sure that he would agree? But then again, he had no one else, let alone anyone else that he trusted as much.

"Well, I do know of one person," he said finally.

Andrew looked at him questioningly. "Go on," he prompted.

"He left the service a while ago, but he's the only person I know of who has any chance of persuading the Russians…"

Andrew leant forwards slightly in anticipation. "What's his name?"

"Lucas North."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lucas sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had been staring at his computer screen for over an hour now, and his eyes were on the verge of giving up. His job as a buyer for an industrial company was no where near as exciting as working for MI5, but his colleagues were a pleasant bunch, the job paid well, and it also allowed him to continue to use his skill of language when dealing with the company's Russian contacts. Still, today was dragging by at an unbelievably slow pace, and Lucas found himself staring at the clock and willing it to move faster. Shifting his gaze away from the clock, he glanced down at the wedding ring on his left hand and smiled to himself: marrying Amber had definitely been one of the happiest days of his life. He felt very privileged to have been given a second chance at happiness, and happy he was. Lucas found himself wondering what she was doing now, and if she was as bored as he was. He glanced at the clock again; quarter to five. Another fifteen minutes and he would be out of the office and on his way back home to Amber.

When five o'clock came, Lucas tried not to appear too eager as he pulled on his coat and said a hasty goodbye to his colleagues before the leaving the office. He sat impatiently on the tube, drumming his fingers on his leg and fiddling absently with his phone, trying to fight the urge to scour the carriage for anyone who could pose a threat to national security. Old habits died hard, it appeared. By half past five he had returned to their house.

"I'm home!" He called to Amber as he closed and locked the front door behind him.

She came down the stairs into the hallway and greeted him with a kiss. Lucas couldn't help but grin as he followed her into the kitchen and hung his house keys on their designated hook by the sink.

"How was work?" Amber asked, pulling her cardigan tighter around her at the chill from the nearby open window. She quickly closed it and turned back to him.

"Boring," Lucas replied. "How about you?" He leant back against the counter top and watched her while she filled the kettle and waited for it to boil.

"Boring." She grinned at him. "But I got off early so I suppose I can't complain."

"Lucky," Lucas muttered and she laughed.

Her job as a software installer in foreign company's IT systems meant that she only worked when she was needed, and was free to return home whenever she had finished her task, or she could choose to stay and work late if she so wished. It did, unfortunately, also mean that she was occasionally called in to work at obscure times, but incidences such as these were few and far between.

"Remember that I have a hospital appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I'm not sure what time I'll be back," Amber said, while she made them both a cup of tea.

He nodded in response, then his gaze slid down her body to her stomach. He pulled her against him and whispered in her ear, "I'm still not over the fact that you're pregnant."

"It's been six months and you're still not used to it?" She kissed his cheek before pulling away from him, picking up her cup of tea, and walking into the living room.

Lucas followed her and sat beside her on the sofa. "Yeah, I know that but I still can't quite believe it. It's almost surreal."

"Surreal in a good way, or a bad way?" Amber sipped at her tea.

"Good." Lucas smiled. "Definitely good."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So, this guy of yours, Lucas North… What makes you think he has the right leverage with the Russians?" Andrew asked, sipping at the coffee that had just been provided for them.

Harry leant back in his chair before answering. "He was imprisoned in Moscow for eight years. He knows these guys. He knows the way their minds work. Not to mention the fact that he's fluent in Russian, verging on bilingual in fact. I can think of no one better to do this."

Andrew nodded in agreement. "So he's left the service, but you're convinced that he will agree to this?"

"I can only hope," Harry replied. "He's married now, but I'm sure his wife will be understanding."

"She's aware that he used to be in the service?"

Harry nodded. "She was too. They were both in my section."

"Ah," said Andrew. "Could you contact him?"

"Absolutely. I'll do that right away."

Lucas had just finished washing up the dishes from their dinner when his mobile rang. He moved to the hallway so he wouldn't disturb Amber, who was dozing on the sofa, before answering. He noted that the number was withheld, which struck him as odd, as it was rare that anyone should call his mobile when they had a house phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Lucas."

Lucas recognised the voice instantly; how could he not? "Harry."

"How are things?"

"Things are…good…fine…great… And yourself?"

Lucas heard Harry sigh. "Oh, you know, the usual." Harry paused. "How is Amber?"

"She's…" _pregnant. "She's great, thanks for asking. She's worn out at the moment." Why couldn't Lucas bring himself to tell Harry? Was it the fact that he was scared of what he might think? _

"_Working hard, I take it?"_

_Lucas smiled to himself. "As always."_

_There was a pause in their conversation._

_When Harry spoke again, his voice had taken on a darker tone. "I'm afraid I must ask you to do something for me." _

"_What?" What could Harry possibly want from him now?_

"_Something's happened, and we could really do with your assistance."_

"_Why?" Lucas' voice was dry with shock. _

"_You should know that I can't tell you over the phone, but it's to do with the Russians. Can you come in?"_

"_To the Grid?"_

"_If you would. I'll meet you at the entrance to get you in." _

"_Right… I'll be there as soon as I can."_

_He didn't want to go back to Thames House at all, let alone go back to working there; he was perfectly happy to spend the evening in with Amber. He thought that he had left all of his old life behind when they had left MI5, but apparently Harry was still able to call him in. Lucas knew that he had no choice but to do as he asked, as much as he hated being at Harry's beck and call. _

_Lucas re-entered the living room after he and Harry had hung up. Carefully, he sat down on the sofa and gently stroked Amber's cheek to wake her. She stirred and sleepily opened her eyes. _

"_I have to meet someone," Lucas said softly. "It's urgent, and I'm not sure what time I'll be back." _

_Confusion filled her eyes, and she sat up so she could look at him face-to-face. Lucas took one of her hands in his and leant his forehead against hers. _

"_Don't worry. You get some rest and I'll be back some time later." He lightly pressed his lips against hers, before pulling away and standing up. Amber followed him to the hallway as he pulled on his shoes and coat. _

"_I love you," she said as he opened the front door. _

_Lucas' expression folded into one of tenderness, and he moved back to her to kiss her again. "I love you too." With that, he left the house and disappeared into the fading light of the evening. _

_Amber sighed as she watched him leave. She knew he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she would have to wait until he returned home to find out what the truth was. She sighed again and walked back into the living room, rubbing her stomach absently as she did so. They had only been married for just over four months when she had discovered that she was pregnant, and although they had talked about having children, they had only just started trying for a baby, so it came as a massive surprise when she fell pregnant almost immediately. Her mother was disapproving of her getting pregnant so quickly; she said that they had rushed their relationship, rushed their marriage, and had now rushed to have children. Amber supposed that her mother did have a point: things had moved very quickly since the start of their relationship, but she knew that she wouldn't have it any other way. _

_She glanced at the clock briefly as she reached for the TV remote. Who on earth would call Lucas out at half past seven at night? Whatever was going on, she had a strange feeling that it couldn't be good, but she knew that she was just going to have to wait and see. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry was waiting for Lucas at the main entrance to Thames House when he arrived. They wordlessly made their way through security and up the familiar staircase to the Grid, neither of them knowing quite what to say. Emerging on the other side of the pods, Lucas was surprised to see that the Grid had barely changed, although there were two new faces that he didn't recognise sat at his and Amber's old desks. The first was a woman, who Lucas guessed was about thirty years of age. She had long, glossy black hair that shimmered in the light, tanned skin, and vaguely oriental facial features. The second was a young man, slightly shorter than Lucas (who had placed the other man in his mid-twenties), with light brown hair tied up in a small ponytail, dark brown eyes and fair skin.

"Lucas, this is Marie Chapman and Aaron Farmer," Harry said, indicating the two new people.

"Mine and Amber's replacements," muttered Lucas.

Harry had obviously heard what Lucas had just said. "No one could replace either of you, Lucas."

Marie and Aaron both approached Lucas and shook his hand. He felt somewhat out-of-place being back at the Grid. Clearly things were different, as Lucas kept expecting to see Ros walk around the corner, before he remembered her betrayal and how she had framed him. As he followed Harry to the meeting room, he was secretly thrilled to see that Jo, Ben, Malcolm and Connie were all still here, and, after greeting them, he took his place at the table.

"A few weeks ago," Harry began, "An Al-Qaeda terror cell based in Chechnya attempted to detonate a bomb in central Manchester. Fortunately for us, they failed. The Russians have protected them in the past, but now we know the cells' location. We want you to persuade the Russians to give them up to us."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Lucas asked, flicking through the file Ben had just slid across the table to him.

"Oh, I have no doubt that you'll think of a way."

When Lucas returned home later that evening, Amber was still in the living room, curled up on the sofa and watching TV. He knew that she would confront him about where he had been, and thought that it would probably be best if he told her straight away, and didn't try to lie to her. Despite the fact that lying was almost second-nature to him, he still found it difficult to keep things from her.

"It was Harry that called me earlier," he said bluntly, sitting down beside her.

Amber's mouth fell open in shock. "Harry?"

Lucas nodded. "He needs my help for something important."

"Lucas, please, you can't be serious. You're not honestly considering going back to Section D, are you?"

Lucas looked away from her, unable to meet her worried and hurt gaze. "They need me, Amber."

"They need you?" She repeated incredulously. "What about me? **I **need you."

"I'm the only one with the leverage they need to get the Russians to co-operate with them. I have to do this."

"You can take the man out of MI5, but you can't take MI5 out of the man?" She folded her arms across her chest, unwanted tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

He nodded sadly in response. "Yes."

"You promised that you'd left it all behind," Amber said quietly, her voice trembling treacherously as tears cascaded silently down her cheeks.

"I did! I never thought about it again until now. Look, I don't want to go back to MI5 permanently, and as soon as I've done this everything will go back to normal. It's just for a week or so." Lucas reached for her hands and held them tightly in his own. "As much as you hate it, MI5 was a big part of my life, even before I met you. It's not easy to walk away from it all, but after this, I promise that I'll never, ever go back again. Okay?"

She nodded, wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve. "Sorry," she muttered, indicating the fact that she was crying. "Hormones…"

Lucas smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms. Amber leant her head on his shoulder and tucked her knees up under her body, wincing slightly as her movement made the baby kick.

"Ouch," she muttered quietly.

"Did it just kick?"

"Yeah. It's going to take me a while to get used to that. And I really wish we didn't have to keep referring to our baby as 'it'."

Lucas chuckled. "Well, you're the one who wants it's gender to be a surprise, so we can't name it yet, because we don't know whether it's a boy or a girl."

"You called our baby 'it' three times in that sentence."

"So think of a codename, then."

Amber rolled her eyes. "And we're back to the spying thing again."

Lucas sighed. "I didn't mean it in that way. I know you don't want me going back to Section D, even if it is only temporarily. Hell, I don't especially want to go back either. But you know what Harry's like; I don't have much of a choice, and it will be over before you know it."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The following morning, Lucas woke up earlier than normal. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only quarter to six. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, knowing that there was no point in him trying to go back to sleep, as he probably wouldn't be able to. Amber was facing away from him, her hair fanned out across the pillow and rose-petal lips slightly parted. Lucas shifted closer to her and kissed her bare shoulder lightly while he rested his hand on her stomach. She leant back against him slightly in her sleep and Lucas looked down at her in his arms. He worried about how him returning to Section D might affect her or their relationship. He could only hope that after he had done this for Harry, he really would be free from MI5. At half past six, his alarm went off, and he quickly turned it off in the hope that it hadn't disturbed Amber, but she awoke as soon as he got out of bed.

"You're up early." Her voice was muffled by the pillow. "I forgot that spies worked unsociable hours."

"Just because your hours are so flexible… Speaking of, are you working today?"

"Not unless I get called in." She still wasn't fully awake, Lucas noted.

"Go back to sleep then." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm going in the shower."

After showering and getting dressed, he crouched down by the side of the bed to say goodbye to Amber. She had fallen asleep again after their brief conversation and Lucas looked with concern at her sleeping form. He knew that she had been struggling to sleep recently as the baby had been extremely active at night, and it appeared that the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll on her body. The beginnings of dark circles under her eyes contrasted greatly with her pale skin, and Lucas prayed that she would be able to sleep better soon.

"Amber," he shook her shoulder gently to wake her.

"Hm?"

"I'm going now. I'll see you later." He leant forwards and kissed her lips lightly.

"Call me if you're going to be working late."

"I will. Love you."

"You too."

Harry shivered against the chill in the air. It was still early morning and he and Andrew Stanton were making their way down Victoria Embankment at a slow and steady pace. Andrew had called Harry early that morning and asked him to meet him down at the embankment. Harry had immediately known that something was different, as it was rare for Andrew to call him at all, let alone ask him to go for a walk. Despite knowing this, Harry waited to see if Andrew would be forthcoming with the real reason for their meeting, however, so far, their conversation topics had varied greatly. Andrew was particularly interested in Lucas, having met him the day before, and appeared intrigued about his past and why he had decided to leave.

Eventually, Harry could not wait any longer, and he knew that Lucas would soon be on the Grid and waiting for him. Following a short lapse into silence, Harry decided to find out why Andrew had called him. "This is very unlike you, Andrew. Why are we out here?" He asked, pulling his coat tighter around him in an effort to stay warm.

Andrew visibly grimaced at Harry's question. "Peta Volkov called me late last night."

Harry was surprised. "Why was the head of the FSB in London calling you late at night?"

Andrew stopped walking and faced Harry. He moved slightly to one side to avoid the path of an oncoming jogger and lowered his voice, even though there was barely anyone around. "He's offering us a deal for the Al Qaeda cell in Chechnya."

"What's the deal?"

"The Russians will give up the cell, if we give them Lucas." 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Peta Volkov placed the phone back down onto the receiver following his phone conversation with the head of the FSB, in which he had told him of his conversation with Andrew Stanton. He smirked faintly to himself; it had been easier than he thought to persuade him to give up Lucas North. He knew that Andrew and Harry would have to agree, because they had no choice. The FSB had been willing to give up the Al-Qaeda terror cell in Chechnya anyway, but MI5 and MI6 didn't need to know that. Besides, the Russians still desperately wanted Lucas back in their grip, and they had seen an opportunity with his involvement.

Lucas was busy reading something on his computer when Jo approached him with two fresh mugs of coffee. She placed one beside him and leant back against his desk.

He looked up at her and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jo."

Since Amber and Lucas had left the Grid, both Jo and Ben had, quite possibly illegally, kept in touch with both of them, and so both knew that they were expecting a child.

She grinned back at him before shifting her gaze to his computer screen. "How's it going?"

"Not as well as I had hoped. I am getting somewhere though. I think I'm on to something with this guy." Lucas gestured to the picture of a man, accompanied by a file, that he had open. "He can be easily swung, but isn't cheap."

"Is anything these days?" Jo took a sip of her coffee.

Lucas laughed slightly. "I don't think so. Unless you go to a 99p store."

"Is that where you're going to be buying all your baby stuff from?" She asked cheekily.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you think Amber would let me buy baby stuff from a 99p store?"

Jo pondered for a moment before answering. "No." She paused, then, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, said, "Speaking of baby stuff… Does Harry know?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. For some reason I just can't seem to tell him. I feel like it's already weird enough me being back here; I don't want to complicate things even further."

"How would it complicate things? I would have thought that it might have made things a bit easier. If Harry knew then maybe he wouldn't be asking you to do all this stuff."

Lucas sighed. "It's too late now anyway. I'm here, I'm halfway through my work… And I have absolutely no idea how I would tell him."

Jo smiled sympathetically and rubbed his arm gently. "He'll find out sooner or later."

Harry looked up from the file on his desk at the sound of a knock on his office door. "Yes?"

The door slid open and Lucas walked in. "You wanted to see me, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I did." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

Lucas complied and leant back in the chair, arms folded across his chest and waiting for Harry to begin speaking.

"There is something of a problem with the Russians…" Harry was reluctant to say what he had to, but Lucas had to know. It would be extremely unfair of him to throw Lucas in at the deep-end without any explanation whatsoever.

Lucas scoffed. "Tell me about it."

"You misunderstand."

Lucas responded by raising a sceptical eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"

"Peta Volkov called Andrew this morning. They're willing to give us the terror cell, if we give them you…"

"Ah." Lucas swallowed nervously. The expression that Harry was currently wearing told him that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

Harry looked grim. "We've had to agree to it."

"No!" Lucas was on his feet, anger coursing through his veins. "You're sending me back to the Russians? Harry! How could you do this?"

"Do you think this is easy for me? I know that you've been working hard to get a deal with the Russians, and this is what they're offering. I feel absolutely terrible asking you to do this for me, but Andrew is absolutely adamant that the deal goes through, and we're going to get you back."

"You said that last time," Lucas muttered bitterly, sinking back into his chair. "And that took you eight years."

Harry grimaced. "I have nothing else to say to that except for that I am truly regretful for what happened to you."

"You can't just send me away like this! What about Amber?" Lucas buried his face in his hands as the thought of leaving her and their unborn child wrenched violently at his heart.

"You'll be back in no time at all, Lucas." Harry stood up and stood beside him, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But the deal takes place at 4 o'clock. You can't go home."

Lucas looked up at him, hurt in his eyes. "You mean I can't even explain to Amber what's happening?" He tried hard to keep his voice level, and to prevent it from breaking.

Harry shook his head and Lucas fought back tears.

"Harry, she's my wife. She'll be distraught."

_For God's sake, why can't I find the words to tell him that she's pregnant? Here I am, facing being sent away for an unknown amount of time, and I cannot find the strength to say two simple words: she's pregnant. _

_Harry regarded him for a moment, as if knowing that there was something that he was trying to say. "I will explain everything to her this evening, you have my word." _


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"_Lucas…" Amber said nervously, sitting next to him on the bed. "I have something that I need to tell you…"_

_Lucas looked up from the book he had been reading. "What is it?"_

"_It's nothing bad," Amber said quickly, taking his hands in hers at the worried look in his eyes. _

"_Then what?" When she said nothing and dropped her gaze from his, he asked again. "Amber, tell me. What is it?" _

_She looked up at him, and after a seemingly endless amount of time finally spoke. "I'm pregnant," she whispered. _

"_What?" He said disbelievingly. "Pregnant?"_

_She nodded. "One month."_

"_One month?" He echoed. _

"_Yeah. I had to be sure. I didn't want to get my hopes up only to find that it wasn't true." _

"_Are you absolutely sure that you're pregnant?" _

"_I've done three tests. And I went to the doctors." _

"_My God," Lucas said breathlessly. "That's amazing." _

_Amber sighed in relief and allowed him to pull her into his arms. "I was so worried you would say it was too soon.." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck._

"_Why would I say that? Oh, God, I can't believe it. I'm going to be a dad!" _

Lucas awoke with a start as the van lurched forwards, jolting him out of his dream. He groaned and tried to sit up, struggling due to the fact that his hands and feet had been bound. He had argued with Harry for over an hour, before Andrew Stanton had arrived at the Grid and forced Lucas to admit defeat. He had been handed over at 4 o'clock, and the Russians had provided the time that they would be extracting the Chechen terror cell and sending them over to Britain. Harry had sworn to him that they would do everything to get him back as soon as they possibly could, but Lucas had absolutely no idea quite how they were going to go about this. The thought worried him deeply; especially when he thought that he might miss the birth of his first child.

The back doors of the van opened, and the two men who had done the deal with Harry and Andrew roughly manhandled him out of the van and outside. He looked around and saw that he was on a helicopter landing pad, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The Russians kept a firm grip on his upper arms while they waited for the helicopter to approach. Lucas heard it before he could see it; squinting up at the harsh light of the sky, he finally saw the helicopter drawing nearer and nearer to them. He knew then that they would be taking him back to Russia, and back to hell.

Amber worriedly checked her phone for a message from Lucas. Nothing. It was six o'clock, and he usually texted her way before now to check that she was okay, and to tell her what time he would be coming home. She chewed her lower lip nervously; it was so unlike him to not check in with her. What if something had gone wrong? Was he okay?

Suddenly her mobile rang, lighting up beside her and displaying the words 'withheld number'. Her heart skipped a beat as she answered.

"Hello?"

"Amber, it's Harry. How are you?"

"I'm…fine… And yourself?" Her mouth had gone dry very quickly.

"Stressed."

Amber smiled weakly in spite of herself. "No change there then." She heard Harry chuckle.

"I'm afraid not." There was a pause. "Listen, Amber, something's happened. Lucas has had to go away for a while, but he'll be back soon."

She felt like the floor had been ripped out from underneath her. "Where is he?"

"I can't tell you. I'm so sorry. But he'll be okay."

With that, Harry hung up, leaving Amber more terrified for Lucas' safety than ever.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jo desperately wanted to call Amber to tell her what had happened. She knew that she would be going out of her mind with worry by now, and Harry's phone call probably hadn't helped with that matter. She tried to concentrate on the task Harry had set, but was quickly distracted when her phone rang. Seeing that it was Amber, she quickly moved away from the main part of the Grid before answering.

"Amber?"

"Jo! What the hell is going on?" Amber's voice was full of worry.

"Lucas was used as a bargaining chip to get information on an Al-Qaeda terror cell in Chechnya. The Russians have him." Jo chewed her lower lip nervously.

"What?" Amber exclaimed. "I'm coming in. Get downstairs and wait for me and then let me in."

"You really shouldn't come in… Harry doesn't know that you're-"

"I'm coming in," Amber replied stubbornly.

Jo sighed. "Okay fine. I'll be there." She hung up and glanced anxiously around the Grid. She could see that Harry was busy talking to Connie in his office, but decided that he would just have to wait. She gathered up her ID card and phone and hurriedly exited through the pods.

After handing Lucas over to the Russians, Harry had returned to the Grid, informed the rest of the team what had happened, and set about thinking of ways to get him back as soon as possible. Harry's phone conversation with Amber had been extremely brief, and he had wanted to comfort her more, but knew that he would end up giving too much away and causing her even more concern in doing so. He felt extremely guilty for not providing her with more information, but he forced himself to think that it was for the best.

"Harry, do you actually have a plan?" Connie asked, entering Harry's office without knocking.

"Not really, that's why I need all the help I can get. We have to get Lucas back. I've already let him down once by leaving him for eight years, and I really don't want to have to do that again."

Connie remained hovering by Harry's desk. After a moments silence, she voiced the fear that had been gnawing away at Harry since the deal had taken place. "What if we can't get him back?"

"I'd really rather not think about that." Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly. "We will get him back. We have no choice. Please can you sit down? You hovering by me is making me even more tense."

She apologised and quickly took a seat opposite his desk. Harry looked away from her at the sound of the pods turning. He caught a glimpse of a familiar flash of copper hair and groaned inwardly.

"What?" Connie asked, turning round in her chair to look out towards the Grid.

"Please tell me I did not just see who I think I saw…"

The door to his office slid open and Harry's gaze fell onto Jo, with Amber stood closely behind her. Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Amber, come in." It wasn't until she was stood directly in front of him and he had looked up at her properly that he realised she was quite obviously pregnant. "My God…" he muttered, looking aghast. "How many months?"

"Six."

"Errm… Congratulations?"

"It won't be 'congratulations' if you don't get my husband back from the Russians!"

"You've been told then?"

"Don't I have a right to be told a little more than 'he's gone away', Harry?"

Connie stood up from her chair and offered it to Amber, who gratefully took it. Harry stayed sat at his desk while Connie went to stand with Jo, who was still lingering in the doorway.

"Yes you do, you're right. I'm so sorry this had to happen, Amber." Harry buried his face in his hands, guilt washing through him like a wave. He suddenly felt drained, tired and old as the reality of the situation sunk in. He had intruded on this young couple's happiness and ripped it from underneath them without any real explanation. Now he was paying the price for snatching Lucas away from the life that he had only just got, after desperately craving it for all of these past years.

"How are you going to get him back?" Amber could feel tears pricking at the corner of her eyes and tried to push them away.

Harry looked up at her and saw the pain in her eyes. "I don't know." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"You have to get him back. He's my husband; I need him, because there is no way I will be able to bring up our child by myself."

"The Service would be able to give you assistance-"

"Screw the Service, Harry! It's not the same and you know it. I need my husband back. Start reassuring me."

"I have an idea," said Connie.

"Explain," Harry gestured for her to come back into his office instead of standing by the door.

"Well there's a civil war going on between Chechnya and Ossetia, right?" Harry nodded. "I have a contact in Ossetia who is in a group well known for trying to annoy the Chechens…If I get in touch with him, and tell him that the Chechens really want to keep Lucas around, then I think the mere thought of doing something else to p*ss them off should be enough to get him on side."

"Are you suggesting your contact in Ossetia breaks him out of jail?" Amber asked.

"Precisely."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lucas lay awake in his cell, staring at the blank ceiling. He felt like he had been here forever, but in reality it had probably only been about a week. The first few days had been the worst; all the memories that he had suppressed had been dredged up again, and his nights were plagued by horrendous flashbacks, which left him physically and emotionally drained. Normally after his flashbacks, he would seek comfort in Amber's arms. Only now he was miles away,and there was no one here to comfort him. No warm, gentle arms to hold him, and no soothing, whispered words to tell him everything would go away.

To start with, Lucas had tried to keep track of the time, but he had soon given up with that notion. Minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days, and days felt like weeks. He attempted to put into words how he felt, but he couldn't't. He felt numb, and more tired than he had been in a long time.

So far, the Russians hadn't actually tortured him, which he supposed was something of a good thing, but it did leave him wondering what the hell they were going to do with him. He did occasionally think that they were playing mind games with him, as they had done in the past. By leaving him alone for seemingly endless periods of time, they had actually made him crave the torture and beatings, just so he knew that he was not totally alone.

Back at the Grid, Harry sat alone in his office, deep in thought, his mind still wracked with guilt. His eyes were heavy and aching, but he had not been able to sleep properly since Lucas had been handed over to the Russians. Malcolm and Connie had attempted to console him, but even the news that Connie had finally managed to persuade her contact to break Lucas out of prison was not enough to make him feel any better.

It was almost eight o'clock in the morning and the team were gradually arriving for work. The first to arrive was Malcolm, as always. His eyes fell upon Harry sat behind his desk and he immediately entered his office.

"Harry, have you slept properly yet?"

Harry looked up into Malcolm's lined and caring face; saw the creases in his forehead as he frowned as he regarded Harry more closely. "No," said Harry honestly.

"You really should try; you look terrible."

"I have tried Malcolm. I am touched by your concern, but I will not be able to rest properly until Lucas is home safely."

Malcolm nodded slightly before departing. As he sat down at his desk, Connie arrived at the Grid, followed almost immediately by Amber. She had been determined to come to the Grid whenever she could, even if there was no new news for her to hear. Much to the protests of Harry, she helped out with anything she could unless she was called into work by the company that actually employed her.

Amber sat down at the temporary place she had, sharing a desk with Jo. As she no longer worked for MI5, she no longer had an account on their computer system, so she sat and waited, reading a book to occupy her mind and pass the time until Jo joined her. Like Harry, she had also had very little sleep, though she knew that she had to try, if not for her, then for the baby. It was so hard for her; all she could think about was Lucas, and she often found herself wondering if she would ever see him again. She hated Harry for doing this to them, but she rationalised that he had not known that this would happen. Whenever she came onto the Grid, she tried not to think about Lucas and the uncertain future by watching the way the new team worked. She liked Aaron a lot; he was intelligent and funny and very good at his job. Marie had been a little cold towards Amber to start with, but she had gradually warmed to her. In some respects, Marie resembled Ros, to some extent.

"Morning, Amber," Jo said brightly as she arrived on the Grid, trying to remain normal for the state of both hers and Amber's sanity.

"Morning." Amber closed her book as Jo logged onto the computer. "Listen, Jo, can I ask you a favour?"

"Yeah sure, anything."

"Do you think you could maybe come and stay with me for a while? I'd really feel much happier if I had someone with me in case anything happened…" she trailed off.

Jo smiled slightly sadly. "Of course I will. I'll get my stuff after work tonight and then come straight over."

"Thanks Jo. I really appreciate it."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Gunshots and shouting woke Lucas from his restless sleep. He sat bolt upright in his bed, listening intently to try and figure out what was going on. More gunshots had him on his feet, waiting by the door, his body tense as he prepared for some kind of fight. The door to his cell swung open and a group of men stood there, seemingly waiting for him. One stepped forward, a pair of shoes and a plain, grey shirt in his hands.

"Lucas North?" The man spoke his name with a heavy Russian accent.

Lucas nodded briefly, then, sensing that the men spoke little English, asked in Russian, "Who the hell are you?"

"I am your 'get out of jail free' card," the man replied. He forced the shoes and shirt into Lucas' hands and waited while he put them on.

"What are you doing? Why are you breaking me out of here? Why now?" Lucas finished tying his shoe-laces and stood up to regard the men. There were about eight of them, and all were rather dishevelled-looking, with scruffy, dirt-stained clothes. Apparently they were not in the mood for divulging, as they remained irritatingly silent to Lucas' tirade of questions. He had been heavily guarded in the prison, and although the group of men had killed a few guards, there were still many more who were alive. They had barely made it down the corridor before they were stopped. The men instantly started open firing at the guards and didn't stop until all of the guards had crumpled to the floor, blood oozing out of them.

"Go! Run!" One of the men shouted at Lucas, shoving him down the corridor as the sound of more heavy footsteps mingled with their own. Lucas followed without question, though the question as to who these men were lingered in his brain. Could he trust them? It seemed that he had no choice, and for the moment he was inclined to let them break him free.

Once they had broken out of the prison, they ran for what seemed like forever through the dead of night, until they were sure that there was nobody following them, and that they were safe. Lucas knew that his escape meant that the FSB would undoubtedly come after him, and therefore he knew that he had to keep a low profile. He looked around as they entered a small village, just able to make out the shape of buildings with the light cast upon them by the moon. The group of men urged him forwards into a small, deserted building.

"I was sent by a mutual friend of yours," the leader of the group explained quietly to Lucas, whilst the other men kept watch. "She offered us a good deal for your safe return to England, but we only get paid if you return in one piece."

Lucas regarded the man. He probably shouldn't trust him, but he knew that he had no choice; he wanted to get home so badly. "What's your name?"

"It is not necessary for you to know that."

"How am I getting home?" _Home_. His heart ached at the word rolling off his tongue.

"I know the guy who runs the drug trafficking out of Latvia, and let's just say that he owes me a favour. His name is Niko Barschak. He's agreed to let you on a run into Amsterdam. I'm sorry that we can't do more to help you, but after that, you're on your own."

Lucas nodded as he took in this new information. "Where's the meet?"

"The city of Rezekne; sixty-three kilometres west of the Latvian-Russian border. We can only take you as far as the border, and you'll have to find somewhere to stay in Rezekne until the truck leaves."

"Do I have money? Another identity?"

The man handed him a rucksack. "This will contain everything you need for passports and money. Your new identity is Russian."

"I can cope with that."

"We have no time to lose; we must move now whilst it is still night, and harder for us to be seen."

Lucas slung the rucksack onto his back and followed the men into the pitch black night once again.

It was almost midday by the time they reached the border. Lucas knew that he was much more at risk of being caught now than when they had been travelling under the cover of darkness, but at the same time, he knew he had to get home as quickly as he could.

"This is as far as we go. I hope you get home safely."

"Thank you," said Lucas, shaking the hand of each man in turn. "Thank you for your help."

He lingered on the border for a few moments, watching the retreating figures of the men. He resolved than when he returned home, he would find out their names. Lucas drew the passport out of his rucksack; his new name was so very typically Russian he had to smile to himself. Thinking of nothing but how much he wanted to be home, he put the passport away again and crossed the border into Latvia.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lucas stepped off the ferry at the port and looked around. The sky was covered with clouds and was a dark grey in colour, and the sea too was a similar shade of bleakness. It was a week since he had been broken out of prison and yet it already seemed like a lifetime ago. He had had to wait for three days before the drug trafficking truck left Rezekne and so had booked into a cheap and somewhat unpleasant hotel. The journey itself had been even more unpleasant, but the memory of that faded away as Lucas asked a stranger for directions to the nearest train station and set off walking, following the directions he had been given. He was in Newcastle, roughly three hundred miles from where he wanted to be, but the only ferry he had managed to get out of Amsterdam had been to here, and he taken it. It had taken a while for him to persuade them to let him on to the ferry without previous booking, but he had somehow managed. The crossing had taken fifteen hours and, with nothing to occupy his mind, Lucas had found himself extremely bored and tired, but still unable to sleep. Perhaps it was the thought that he was finally returning to England, or, more likely, the fear that something terrible had happened to Amber in his absence. Trying his best to push the thought away, he focused himself on finding the train station. The stranger who he had asked for directions had said that it was a twenty minute journey, but whether by car or foot Lucas had no idea. It soon transpired that he had probably meant by car. Eventually, however, Lucas arrived, and booked the first train to London there was.

It was nearing half past four when Lucas found himself outside Thames House. For some reason he had expected it to have changed, but nothing was different. He paused on the steps for a moment, realising that he didn't have his pass or a mobile phone to call anyone. Praying that the security would recognise him and let him through, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. He was instantly asked for his identification.

"I don't have it," Lucas said honestly.

"Then you can't come in," the security guard replied.

"I work here. Look, call Harry Pearce, tell him its Lucas North and that I need him to come down and get me because I've lost my pass."

The security guard raised an eyebrow at him, but remained stubbornly silent.

"There's no need for that." A voice behind them said, and Lucas turned round hastily. "I am so glad to see you Lucas."

"Harry." Lucas felt a bitterness spike in his heart at seeing him again. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, she's upstairs." Of course, Lucas thought, she had come in to the Grid demanding to know what had happened. "I'll take it from here, thank you," Harry addressed the guard. Turning back to Lucas, he said, "I am so, so sorry for what happened. Why didn't you tell me that she was pregnant?"

"I tried, Harry," Lucas said, his voice shaking. "I could never find the time, or the words."

"It's fine, I found out when she turned up on the Grid one morning. I feel so guilty, Lucas. I hope that one day you can forgive me." Harry looked to him as they approached the pods, but Lucas said nothing and stepped through them onto the Grid.

He almost broke down when he saw Amber sitting at Jo's desk, flicking through some paperwork absently. She looked up at the sound of the pods opening and stared at him, taking in his dishevelled appearance; the clothes stained with dirt and blood; the tatty rucksack hanging limply from his shoulder; his messed up hair and weeks' worth of stubble. Tears formed in her eyes, glistening in the light as she covered her mouth with her hands. He moved over to her and she stood up, dazedly walking to him, afraid that she was dreaming. Once she was close enough, he instantly pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck and feeling all the worry that had overwhelmed him these last few weeks wash away. She pulled away and moved her hands to his face, as if checking to see he was real.

"You're back." Her voice shook with the effort of trying to suppress her tears. "You're okay?"

Lucas nodded gently. "Yeah I'm back, I'm fine. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

Amber smiled. "She's fine."

"She?" Lucas repeated.

"Yeah. I had to have a scan while you were away and they said, did I want to know the baby's gender? And I didn't know whether you were going to make it back or not so I said yes, and it's a girl." Tears rolled down her cheeks and Lucas brushed them away with his thumbs.

"No more baby 'it', then?" he asked.

Amber laughed shakily. "No." She sniffed and tried to regain her composure. "Now we have to decide on a name."

Lucas smiled at the thought. "That can wait for a little while longer."

She nodded her agreement. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too." Lucas sighed in relief. "Me too."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

5 Months Later

Harry glanced at his watch; it was a quarter to one in the afternoon of a sunny Saturday in July. He had just been to a meeting with the Home Secretary, regarding a particular matter of interest with the Russsians. He had not been in contact with Amber or Lucas since the disatrous events of their last encounter, though he had heard from Jo and Ben that they were doing well, and that their daughter was perfectly healthy. However, they had been reluctant to say what her name was, and had eventually persuaded Harry to go round to their house and see them for himself. With this thought in mind, he opened the door to his silver Bentley, slid the key into the ignition and drove in the direction of their house. Within about thirty minutes, he pulled up outside and made his way down the steps to the front door, relieved to find the windows thrown wide open, which signified that at least someone was in. He rang the doorbell and waited until the door opened.

"Harry." Amber stood there, looking more casual than any other time he had seen her in jeans and a loose-fitting top, her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and she looked every bit as worried as to why he was here as he felt at seeing them both.

"I'm just here to see you, and your daughter, if you'll let me," he explained quietly.

Amber nodded. "Come in."

He smiled hesitantly at her as he stepped through the door and into the hallway. She led him into the living room, where he saw Lucas stretched out on the sofa, absently flicking through a newspaper, and beside him on a play-mat on the floor, their daughter. Harry saw instantly that she had a shock of copper hair, the exact same shade as Amber's.

Lucas stood up when Harry entered the room and chucked the newspaper to one side. Amber picked up their baby and stood beside him.

"I'm not here for anything other than to see how you are, and to talk to you both," said Harry, aware that Lucas had automatically assumed he was here for something else.

"Have a seat, then," Lucas said, gesturing to the armchair which Harry was stood next to.

Harry awkwardly sat down, then asked, "What's her name?"

"Jasmine," replied Amber.

"She looks like you."

"Do you think?" Amber gazed down at Jasmine in her arms. "I don't see it."

Lucas leant over her shoulder and brushed Jasmine's cheek tenderly with his fingertips. "I do. She looks exactly like you. I've said it the whole time."

Harry sat and watched them both for a moment. They looked the picture of happiness; the perfect family that Harry knew Lucas had craved since he had finally returned home after those eight years in prison. Now they both had everything they had ever wanted, and another pang of guilt struck Harry when he thought that, by his own doing, he might be watching a very different scene right now.

"I am so sorry for what happened," he said quietly, and Amber and Lucas immediately looked up at him. "And I know I kept saying that after you'd got back, but seeing you here, now, I can't help feel that if you hadn't made it back..."

"But I did," said Lucas. "I did make it back. I am home, I am safe, and I am happy."

"As you deserve to be," Harry agreed. "I'm not going to call on you for help again."

"Thank you."

"I feel you should know, however, that the Russians are slightly annoyed with us."

"What's new?" Amber muttered.

"Annoyed with MI5, or with me?" asked Lucas.

"Both of us. But don't worry, they won't get their hands on you. I'll make sure of that. And guilty as I feel for what happened, part of me, the more professional side of me, feels that it had to be done. It wasn't the right thing, and I know that, but the sacrifice you made, Lucas, allowed us to destroy an Al-Qaeda cell that we'd been after for months."

"It was dangerous," Lucas said.

"And spying's a dangerous game. But we have to play it in order to win it."

"_You _have to play it," Lucas emphasised. "It's not a part of my life any more."

"I know." Harry stood up, ready to leave. "Can I hold her, before I go?"

Amber and Lucas shared a glance as they also stood up, before Amber stepped forward and carefully placed Jasmine in Harry's arms.

"She's beautiful," he murmured. "You must be very proud."

"We are," Lucas smiled. "I know you had to do it, Harry, but it's in the past now, and I would prefer to forget it than to spend my life dwelling on it, and feeling bitterness towards you forever. Therefore, Amber and I forgive you for it."

"I don't deserve it, I know."

"I'd rather we parted as friends." Lucas wrapped an arm around Amber's waist, holding her close to him.

Harry looked down at Jasmine, and her icy blue eyes, completely identical to her father's, looked back.


End file.
